Tanya Batson-Savage, Freelance Writer

Samuels

Coming on the tailend of summer, Jambiz International presents their summer production, Assistant Thief. The usual suspects of Trevor Nairne (direction) and Patrick Brown (script) make up the creative team and what they have produced is pretty standard fare. Of course, standard fare means a funny romp with silliness and a dash of wit.

The play is currently being staged at Centrestage theatre in New Kingston. Assistant Thief is largely a three-hander starring Oliver Samuels as Moses Matalon (Mo), Glen Campbell as Joseph James (Joe) and Camille Davis as Flo. Mo and Joe are two thieves who break into an upscale home on the same night, while Flo is the residence's disturbed occupant, who happens upon them.

A large part of the play's humour lies in the differences between Mo and Joe, some physical humour and much malapropism. While Joe takes his profession seriously, and believes in having some kind of principle and work ethic. Mo on the other hand, is a specialist pick- pocket who branches out on occasion and is now trying his hand at robbing houses. These two will clearly steal anything and sometimes have to squabble over who gets to steal what.

In large part, Assistant Thief plays around in fantastically fun silliness much of it surrounding Mo's ignorance complicated by gross stupidity. As such, by the time Mo declares, "We're morons", (though he intended to say, 'we're mormons') you have to believe him.

Comedic timing

Of course both Samuels and Campbell are fantastic at comedic timing and as such they work well together maximising the jokes. Davis is able to hold her own and she slips between the two well, especially as she is allowed to give a more serious performance and as such does not need to produce great comedic delivery.

Over the past few years, Jambiz has taken their summer productions and attempted to produce a more serious serving of comedy, often mixing it with drama and tackling more serious issues. Yet, in Assistant Thief they clearly throw in the towel as far as any attempt to get serious goes.

Indeed, the play does take a passing swipe at the question of physical abuse and the division between rich and poor. However, despite Davis' serious portrayal of an abused (and significantly disturbed woman) the play itself does not take the issue seriously.

It is quite evident that the team decided to go for gut-cracking laughter and merely lightly poke the issues that bubble beneath its surface with the proverbial ten-foot pole. Tragically, Brown is more than skilled enough to be able to render serious issues with comedic skill, and the attempt to do so would have resulted in a much more interesting and commendable production.

As is, Assistant Thief provides a bellyful of laughter, but it could have been so much more. It stays merrily on the lighter side and tragically never explores its own depths.